Kevin Paul

Session

Kevin Paul serves as the Operations Manager for the Doughboy Foundation in Washington, D.C. In this role, he oversees the Taps program, leads community outreach efforts, and coordinates special events with the National Park Service. He manages the operational details of wreath-laying ceremonies and performances at the National WWI Memorial, as well as at professional sporting events, parades, and television appearances across the country. As an accomplished trumpeter and educator, Kevin has performed and recorded with many notable ensembles including the National Symphony, Baltimore Symphony and Richmond Symphony. He has been a soloist with the National Concert Band of America and various United States Army bands. He has also been featured with Richmond Symphony and Maryland Symphony Orchestras. Currently, he is the Adjunct Trumpet Professor at Loyola University and the founder of Military Trumpet Jobs, the largest resource for military band auditions. Additionally, Kevin contributed as a performer on the inaugural military band trumpet excerpt CD for the International Trumpet Guild. He is a member of a premier Military Band in Washington, D.C., where he has toured extensively throughout the U.S. and internationally, regularly performing for dignitaries at The White House and at ceremonies in Arlington National Cemetery.

Jari Villanueva

Session

Jari Villanueva retired from the United States Air Force where he served for 23 years with the Air Force Band in Washington DC. He was the Director of Military Funeral Honors for the State of Maryland from 2008-2017 and served as an officer in the Maryland Defense Force, the state militia. From 2012-2025, Villanueva has headed Taps For Veterans, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing live buglers for military funerals. He also founded Taps Across America, an annual event where thousands of participants sound Taps on Memorial Day during the National Moment of Remembrance. He was appointed by the Governor of Maryland to serve on two commissions and has recently been asked to serve on the music committee for the American Friends of Lafayette to commemorate the bicentennial of the Marquis de Lafayette’s visit to the United States in 1824. Villanueva’s military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Air Force Good Conduct Medal with six oak leaf clusters, National Defense Service Medal with one service star, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the State of Maryland Distinguished Service Cross, the State of Maryland Meritorious Service Medal, the State of Maryland Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters and the Maryland Defense Force Achievement Medal. He also received the US Marine Corps League Distinguished Service Award and The Bronze Good Citizenship Medal from the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. He is the recipient of the 2024 University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Dr. Charles Woolston Award for outstanding service to the UMBC Athletic Department. Jari Villanueva graduated from the Baltimore Public School system and earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1978 from the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. In 1984, he received a Master of Music degree from Kent State University, Ohio. He is also a 2006 Air Force Senior Non-Commissioned Officer Academy graduate